India state begins to reclaim "liberated" Maoist zone

By Sujoy Dhar
KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - India began deploying on Thursday hundreds of police to push back Maoist rebels who declared a "liberated zone" close to the eastern city of Kolkata, sparking unease among investors in the communist-ruled state.
The Maoists, who want to grab power through an armed struggle, have killed at least 10 government supporters this week from a tribal area about 170 km (100 miles) from Kolkata, capital of West Bengal, highlighting the rebel's growing presence.
The communists have been in power in West Bengal for more than three decades, but the Maoists, who operate from jungle bases, have expanded their support among villagers by tapping their resentment at the government's recent pro-industry push.
"The operation has started to reclaim the region from the Maoists who captured all police posts on Monday," Kuldeep Singh, inspector general of police, told Reuters.
The violence has unnerved industry in a state where the government is trying to promote business, infuriating farmers whose violent protests forced the scrapping of a Tata Motors' Nano car plant and a $3 billion chemicals hub complex.
Hundreds of tribal men and women were seen patrolling villages in Lalgarh area with bamboo sticks, axe and bows and arrows after declaring it a "liberated zone" this week.
India's JSW Steel Ltd, the country's third largest steel producer, is setting up a $7 billion, 10-million tonne steel plant near Lalgarh.
The conflict between industry and farmers reflects a wider battle in India, where efforts to modernize the densely populated country have often met with violent backlashes from villagers who make up more than half the country's 1.1 billion plus population.
"The situation is dangerous," said Kallol Dutta, chief of state-run heavy engineering firm Andrew Yule. "The immediate concern is security, but a political solution is needed."
HUMAN SHIELDS
A senior state official said the Maoists were trying to use women and children as human shields against any police action.
"This is inhuman and dangerous. The women are being dragged into this terror act. I'm warning them (the Maoists) through the media," state chief secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty said.
In perhaps their boldest action yet, the rebels backed by tribal villagers launched a violent attack against police and government supporters in Lalgarh this week and cut off the area by digging up roads and cutting down trees.
The rebels torched houses of communist leaders in the area and police posts. Police say they kidnapped and killed at least six Communist party workers in the region this week.
India is battling the Maoists in swathes of the eastern, central and southern countryside, an insurgency which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described as one of the gravest threats to the country's security. Continued...
Source: Reuters